Real Live American Politicians Debate Climate Change in Public (Video)

Scott Brown vs. Elizabeth Warren on climate. So this doesn't happen much these days: top-level politicians engaging spirited, (semi-) nuanced debate over climate policy. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) and Elizabeth Warren are locked in a tight race for a Massachusetts senate seat, and they just had an hour-long debate. The final question regarded climate change (48 minutes in): “Do you believe climate change is real, and, if so, what should the federal government be doing about it?” Scott Brown affirms that he does indeed believe in climate change — a relief at a time when the Republican party is drenched in climate denial, even if saying otherwise would be quite unpopular in Massachusetts — and then doles out every known energy-related talking point under the sun, including the need to approve the tar sands pipeline (and carbon bomb) Keystone XL. For her part, Warren notes th...